


Sweetapple Elementary

by Comeback_Kid



Category: Supernatural, walking dead crossover - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Sastiel - Freeform, Walkers (Walking Dead)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-04-27 07:17:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5038966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comeback_Kid/pseuds/Comeback_Kid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam loses Dean on a rush for supplies in a town where walkers are most times the least of their problems. By chance he runs into a stranger named Castiel along the way and offers help in exchange for alliance. When it turns out that it's becoming more than an alliance the odds are never really in anyones favor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drainage

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love the dynamic of Sam and Cas' relationship and I also really love sastiel. I think these two really understand each other in a way that's not always explored on the show. So I decided to try a crossover and exploritorrrr it. It's a walking dead crossover, I hope that's ok with all y'all. And I hope this story finds you all well!

_Made it this far…_

Cas knelt in the mud and grass, attempting to keep his senses in tune with the sounds around him. Running water from the drain pipe flooded the area a little– letting his guard down the second the water hit the sore skin between his shoulders. A burst of comfort in a time where it was for the most part rare.

The sun warmed the metal enough during the early noon hours that it warmed the water enough to feel like a shower-- well, a lukewarm one anyway. His shoulders relaxed, letting the water wash the dirt and blood off his skin. His hair hung in warm tangled curls over his eyes. He wasn't sure the last time it'd been cut, three years- maybe just two- either way it was a lot longer than he was used to, running his hands through it and feeling the dusty mud wash out. It was nice. A nice break from walkers and constant fight for survival.

_Sometimes to stay alive you’ve got to kill your mind._

He kept his chin against his chest, breathing in and out comfortably while he ran his hands along his forearms to scrub the grime off and continued to listen to the trees and field around him.

\--He grabbed for his clothes the second he heard footsteps. Pulling his jeans up over the wet fabric of the undershorts and looping the belt through the front two belt loops. Reaching for his shirt, throwing one arm through the neck hole and grabbing the holster and knife from the little hole he’d dug for them. Halfway up the hill and through the tall grass when his mouth connected with hard metal and irony blood spilled over his tongue– _blood running down my chin._

He hit the ground with a groan. His elbows knocking against the rocky dirt, glancing up into the blocked sunlight to see green eyes glaring back down at him– well... Glaring until they realized he wasn’t a walker.

“You ok man?” The guy asked, watching Cas set wet hands against the blood and wince. “Shit- I didn’t know I knocked you that hard man- I’m sorry.” When he knelt down to help him up he backed off just as quick when he noticed how quick Cas was to flinch. A silent _“what are you hidin?”_ Crossing his thoughts as he stayed crouched in front of Cas. “I’m Sam.” He held a bandaged hand out.

“Castiel.” His name was a little mumbled against the split lip. “I didn’t–”

“Damn.” Sam seemed to ignore him and Cas wasn’t sure he even knew he’d given his name back. But the next thing he knew the guy was cupping his jaw and examining his mouth like he was a doctor. “You’re gonna need stitches for that, buddy.”

“Thanks for that then.” Cas pushed his hand away and tried to get up.

“Lucky for you. I got a kit and everything. You alone?” He asked, slinging his bag off his shoulder and taking a plastic box out. “You alone?” Cas heard him... Just didn’t respond. His eyes glued to the blue coloring on the plastic and then the red letters. “Cas?”

He snapped out of it that time. A nickname already.

“You alone out here or are you tracking a group?”

“I’m um, I’m alone. I just wander. I don’t have a group–”

“This is gonna hurt”

“Ow!” he pulled his face back again, trying to brush his hand over the sting on his lip.

“Hold still. You're not gonna wanna talk for a few.” Sam continued anyway. Taking the bloodied alcohol wipe back and almost instantly sticking a needle into Cas’ lip- his grip firm around Cas' jaw. Feeling him flinch, but not messing up once. Five stings later and two more when Cas accidentally bit down on the stitching when he tried to talk. “There we go. Good as new.” Sam leaned back, letting go of his chin and looking over his work. “So. What are you wandering from?”


	2. Lost Trails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i've been gone for quite some time, life got a little hectic and I couldn't quite find my way back until now. here's to the year of 16's my friends. thank you so much for the comments and kudos I really appreciate it.

Cas felt the thick stitching along his lips with his tongue, wincing a bit and looking over at Sam again. "I'm... looking for a place to not die." he finally answered. His tone was blunt and only slightly mumbled from the discomfort. Furrowing his brows he listened to Sam laugh before sighing out another tired and uncomfortable breath. "I fail to see the humor in that."

"What are you doing walking around like that--"

"Walking around like what?" Cas asked him, pulling out his shirt and looking at the stain on it. He let it go with a disgruntled sigh and dropped his hands against his knees, glancing over at Sam again, taking in his appearance and continuing to stare him down with half a glare.

"Like that." Sam waved his hand at him. "You look like one of the walkers. I saw you coming up the hill and I mean sure it was instinct, but I mean..." he cleared his throat after a second, noticing the way Cas seemed to be taking offense and factoring in the whole apocalyptic feel of the world after that. "I'm uh, look, I'm sorry. It's a little rough out here these days, being polite isn't really on the radar all the time. How's your face feeling?"

Cas eyed Sam for a second, letting up on the harshness of his gaze and shrugging. "It's fine, I guess."

"Really? Cause it's killin' me!" Sam exclaimed with a laugh, catching the mixture of a glare and an annoyed roll of the eyes from Cas and laughing again. "Oh come on man, you gotta admit you walked right into it." he laughed again at his play on words. "Sorry-- it's um, it's been a long month. You said you were looking to not die--" 

"And you didn't say what you're looking for so you're either here to practice your stand-up or ask for something." Cas interrupted with apprehension and budding anger in his tone.

"Lost my brother." Sam answered with a quick inhale, raising his brows at first. "More like we got separated, I'm trying to find him- he was hurt the last time we were together, we were on our way to find a shop with supplies-- anything really- when another group ambushed us." his eyes seemed to darken slightly and his voice quieted from the seemingly carefree tone from before. "I have a score to settle and I'm not looking to settle it with strangers." he sighed out. "I gotta get my brother back."

"Busting my mouth open doesn't exactly help your cause." Cas stated, raising his hand up to feel the stitches- stopped only by Sam yanking his hand away.

"You fidget too much, you're gonna pull them out I'm gonna have to redo them a third time. Look, can you help me or not?" Sam let go of his hand and set his own hand on his gun, but lowered it when he saw the way Cas stared at it like it was a threat to him. "You obviously need a little help. I know what I'm doing out here- it's a perfect trade, you help me find my brother, I keep you safe." Sam bargained. "Please, I'm... I'm begging you, I have to get him back, he's all I've got."

Cas nodded slowly, staring at the gravel between his knees and looking back up. "Fine. Yes, ok. I'll..." he shrugged, lost for words and more confused than before. "I'll help you find him." He pressed his hand against his lip again anyway, regardless of how it annoyed Sam. The thread wasn't normal thread for stitching, he figured the guy just made do with what was available, but it still made his mouth feel numb. He breathed in slow and deep for a few seconds before tentatively asking what he couldn't help ignore. "What are you gonna do if he's dead?"

"Huh-uh, not an option." Sam replied, brushing off his hands and getting up to extend a hand to help Cas up. "He's alive, I know he is."


	3. Follow The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Cas set off in search of Dean and get blindsided by a group of others survivors who have other plans for coming out on top of the food chain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the bursts of time between updates. Somedays are more up than others, but I'm working on getting ok and updating consistently. thanks for being patient with me guys!

Sam led the way through the tall green grass and large oak trees that surrounded them, glancing back every few times to make sure his new addition was still with him and keeping up with his long strides. 

"So you're on your own, Cas?" he asked, looking over his shoulders, watching how Cas walked while watching the ground. Observed his shrug and then nod before continuing. "How many people you've killed man?"

Cas looked up with squinted eyes and lips pressed together in a straight line. "None." his answer was solid. No hesitation or any sign of lying at all. It made Sam feel safe for some reason, even as Cas continued. "I don't like hurting people, I don't want to." he shrugged again- Sam took note of it, marking it down as a nervous habit or way to help his nerves. Either way the guy did it a lot. "Just walkers is all-- I had a brother..." he trailed off, dragging his tongue along the stitches in his lips again. "But he got caught by a walker-- too much screaming... crying...blood--"

"It's uh-- you don't have to tell me about it, Cas. I'm sorry about what happened to him."

"He was a dick." Cas shrugged again. His voice hollow and disengaged for a moment. That's what made Sam curious about Cas. Who he was...

"You didn't like your brother I'm guessing?... So you're glad he's dead?"

"What?" Cas paused and stared at Sam. Anger in his gaze. "I loved my brother, he was just mean, but I didn't hate him. I loved him and he died and it was the worst day of my life." Cas rambled angrily. Sam took note of his tone, how orderly and stoic his words sounded. "I buried him beneath his favorite tree, under a picnic table. He would've wanted it that way. I left him a book... in case heaven had libraries... I don't know." Sam couldn't tell if Cas was just going insane or stuck in some place of shock he never had a chance to escape from. 

"You think there's a heaven?" Sam asked, patience coating his words. 

"We have nothing if not belief." Cas quoted the book he'd left for his brothers grave. And for some reason it brought Sam relief to hear that sort of hope, even if it was only from a stranger.

"Good." Sam breathed out, turning forward again and walking through some brush, stopping the moment he heard a snap of a branch, throwing his hand out to stop Cas from passing him. "Whoa- on my mark we move, you understand?" he asked, watching Cas nod in silence. "Don't try to be a hero here, Cas." he caught the eye roll and furrowed his brows before nudging him to move to the side behind the trees. "Look, Cas, we don't know what's out there. Could be walkers, could be another camp, but the world isn't safe anymore man- you know that. I know you do." he spoke in a hushed voice. 

"So what do you want me to do? Sit here and get caught while you run away free?" Cas' tone was slightly offended and somewhat annoyed. "I say we go in charging." he replied, raising his brows and leaning his hands down onto his knees, glancing over at Sam.

"Yeah, how about not, Rambo. I'll lead, you follow, cover my back and I'll cover your front." he held a hand out for Cas to shake, grateful Cas got it and shook rather than just staring at it like he'd been expecting. "Let's move." Sam raised his gun an blade and headed out first with Cas close behind. The area clear, open space and dirt instead of grass by then. Dread sinking into his chest when he heard Cas shout behind him, hearing him hit the ground and guns locking onto him. He turned, aimed his gun at a man who had Cas on his stomach in the dirt with his arm pinned behind his back and a gun pressed to the back of his head. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." a click of a gun beside Sam's head had Sam lowering his gun and looking to his side to find a scruffy man with an annoying smirk. "What'y'boys lookin' for out here?"

"None of your business--" Cas quipped before his face was shoved in the dirt, a groan of discomfort from the sting of dirt against his skin at the hard motion.

"Got a mouth on him, huh?" the man asked with another smile. "I'll fix that if you don't warn him."

"Cas quiet." Sam piped up quickly, his gun and blade at his sides, still on edge. "What do you want?"

"Respect." the man answered, hearing Cas mumble in the dirt and fixing Sam with another warning glare. "Your gear for starters. All of it." and Sam seemed to be more willing to just go along with it than fight. Handing over his bag and then Cas'. Much to Cas' dismay- seeing him fight his way to his knees, his eyes wild and his mouth bloody and red again.

"That's mine! You can't take it!" he shouted, rearing his head back to knock the man still pinning his hand between his shoulder blades away. The man in charge next to Sam seemed to have other plans. Raising a hand and two fingers, motioning a signal-- two more men emerged with guns drawn from the trees. One grabbed Cas by his shirt, yanked him back and slammed him against a trunk while the other tied wire around his hand and pulled both arms behind him before tying the wire around the trunk and then his other hand to that to keep him in place even while he struggled. The man in charge glanced at Sam, tipped his hat before walking across the open space to Cas. Setting a hand under his chin and tilting his head up to look Cas in the eyes. 

"I got news for you. I want it, so I'm takin' it." he gripped Cas' jaw and held it firmly. "And if I want you... I'll take you too." his voice was coated in venom, thick with threat and dripping with disgust. He let go of Cas' face, tapping his hand against his cheek and smiling. Walking back to Sam he grabbed his shirt sleeves and fixed them a bit, puffing out his chest and looked at Sam again. "What else you got?"

"Nothing. We have nothing else." Sam was quick to speak-- anger pulsing through him as he tried to keep his cool. "You have our gear, our weapons, just let us go-" 

"And..." the man in charge glanced over his shoulder back at Cas. "... What if I don't want to yet?"


	4. Take Me Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Sam realize they're both dangerously similar and surprisingly not similar at all when both their lives are put on the line by a group of rival survivalists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to include art for this chapter, but couldn't seem to figure it out! But thank you all for being patient with me still.

Sam felt a tingle along his spine as the man eyed Cas through his statement. "Then we'll trade something else, we'll make a deal. But we have nothing left to give you." he felt like he was stuttering over his words, but the thought of letting a group of men berate his stranger friend and possibly hurt him even worse wasn't in his cards. He wasn't willing to move on that quickly. "Let him go." Sam took a step towards the man in charge after that. 

The man in charge turned back from Cas to face Sam, the smirk returning. "Hero complex huh? What'sa'matter? Never hurt another human before-- or's'this one your boyfriend." the tone was sarcastic and mocking. out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Cas lean back, tilt his head to the side in slight confusion while the man in charge waited for Sam to answer. 

"He's not my boyfriend. We're just the same as you and your guys- just lookin to make it out of this place alive. We-- Cas just doesn't- he." Sam could see Cas gearing up a new spectrum of stubbornness. Ready to deny anything Sam insisted about him and for a split second he prayed to whoever was listening that Cas would shut the fuck up. "He doesn't understand social cues- he's just different. He doesn't mean to disrespect you. Just give him a break, let him go. You have what you wanted, let us go." He wanted the group surrounding them to buy it and go. He swore he could feel his face flush a few shades darker, but he didn't have anything else to work with. 

The man in charge was quiet. Took a step back and then began to head back to Cas, eyeing him closely and grabbing the hem of his stained shirt to pull him close. "... you a retard, kid?" he pursed his lips together before spitting in Cas' face and breaking into laughter when Cas flinched back, turing his face to the side and trying to shake the spit off his skin. "Seem like it to me. You ever killed another human in your life or what?" he asked, watching Cas refuse to look up at him, grabbing his shirt and brushing some of the dirt off, speaking softly that time. "When I'm asking you a question it's respectful to look at me."

Cas clenched his jaw, raising his head to glare at the man in charge who gave him a bigger smile than necessary when he'd looked at him. "I don't kill people." Cas answered angrily, his mouth filling with blood every few seconds, having to spit it out each time to avoid making himself sick. 

"I'll make your friend over there a deal." he motioned again and Cas watched the men who'd tied him to the tree grab Sam and force him to his knees. "You wanna go free-- you kill a human." the man in charge smiled. "The catch is, you kill your buddy and then I give him what he wants. I let you both go free and if you can outrun his dead ass then I guess you're free too." 

Cas could feel the shift in the atmosphere. The clouds were filling the sky, the scent of dirt and minerals becoming more prominent. He shook his head no though. Then he shook it no again. "You're evil." he stated, listening to the other guys laugh, someone calling him something with "obvious" tacked onto the end. He wasn't scared of them-- he wasn't even worried. He was just angry. And none of them even understood what that meant for them. 

"Did you think that was a choice?" the man in charge asked, leaning in close enough for Cas to sense the heavy alcohol on his breath. "You either do what I say or I'll make you wish you had." he pressed in close to Cas, close enough that Cas could feel the grime of dirt and oil on the mans fingers against the skin behind his jeans and belt buckle. "Do it. Now."

"No." Cas argued back, wincing his eyes at the tug the man in charge gave his jeans, pulling their hips together and just standing there. The man in charge didn't react at first. Almost like he was caught off guard by Cas' refusal to listen even with the threat of assault. 

The man let go of the fabric of Castiel's jeans, taking a few exaggerated steps backwards and spinning around to face his men. "Take care of this." he walked past Sam and stood beside another tree with his arms folded across his chest. One of the men jammed the butt of his gun against the back of Sam's head- hardly eliciting a sound, but the next man stepped over Sam's arm and turned himself around, yanking Sam's arm the wrong way until an audible crack sounded. The sound from Sam screaming filled whatever silence was still lingering and the way Cas shouted for them to stop, pulling at the wires and digging the metal into the skin of his wrists only made the man in charge light up with laughter. 

"Fight harder!" the man in charge taunted Cas while the man who'd hid Sam wiht the gun, came around his front and jammed a knee up, splitting Sam's lip- Cas kept pulling at the wire- he knew eventually the wires would give or his joints would and Cas wasn't going to let Sam down. He was supposed to help him find his brother-- they had a deal-- they were... friends- right? 

Right. 

"Stop! I'll do it! I'll do it, stop hurting him!" Cas screamed, the deperation crackling through his words as the man in charge signaled for the two men to stop hurting Sam. The man in charge leaned up from his tree and walked straight back to Cas, standing there to look him over again. Observing the damage he'd done to himself before smiling again. He pressed himself against Cas so their bodies were flushed together, untying the metal wires while listening to Cas breathe hard and heavy-- sensing his fear for the other man his men had hurt. And he started to laugh-- 

But his laughter turned to a choked out gurgle. Sam could still keep himself upright- watching the way the man in charge's body began to jerk, blood spilling over the back of his neck and shirt, down between his shoulder blades. Cas yanked his head back through another gurgled shout-- the man in charge crumpled into the dirt and Cas spit a chunk of something thick and red out beside him. The adrenaline coursing through his body seemed to erase anything else he should've felt including fear as the two men cocked their guns to fire.

But Sam was quicker than them-- forcing himself to his feet, getting the gun from one and firing at the other who still held his gun at Cas before taking out the other man as well. A crack of thunder erupted through the sky, scattered bursts of lightning illuminating purple clouds as he dropped the gun and grabbed his other arm by the elbow. His arm hung limp at his side at an awkward angle- though the bone didn't look to be sticking out and Cas couldn't tell if it was actually broken or if it was just really dislocated...

"We're free to go now..." Cas answered, spitting more blood out. His words precise, but shaky. His balance wavering as he watched Sam stare at the blood covering him and the man in charge laying on the ground with his throat ripped out. "...One." his voice cracked that time, his eyes began to water and he couldn't tell if he was supposed to be fixing Sam's arm and newly split lip, but he just stood there in oncoming tears and shock. "I've killed one human."


	5. Blood Runnin' Down The Chin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Cas work to help each other in the aftermath of the other survivors ambush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really wanna thank you all for being patient with me and how long and tedious and it can be for me to update these fics. I really appreciate you all.

Cas stayed seated in the dark with his back against a tree and the stained backpack on his lap, staring out into the dark listening for walkers in the distance. Sam sat not too far away, half asleep with his arm wrapped tight in fabric Cas had pulled from other dead walkers through the night. Through a groan, Sam sat up a bit more, noticing Cas still staring at what he assumed had been the same spot since he'd drifted asleep. 

"A watched pot never boils you know." he spoke up, getting nothing from Cas. "You awake over there?"

"The night isn't a pot of water." Cas answered, his tone short. "You should be sleeping."

"Yeah well, you're not my mother." Sam quipped back with an edge to his voice. "You sit awake all night you're gonna wear yourself out and-"

"And get in your way?" Cas interrupted, much to Sam's dismay. 

"Get yourself killed, Cas. You'll get yourself killed is that what you want?" Sam stared at him through a look of disbelief that a stranger already thought so low of him. "Look I get it, you're upset, you think this was your fault--"

"I killed him. Don't you get that." Cas shot back quickly. "I killed a man- it took me five seconds and he was dead. I just killed him- not even that, I bit his throat out..." Cas trailed off, the panic and stress of his voice helping Sam find a way to calm him down.

"You killed an asshole, you didn't do anything wrong. He was going to do a lot worse to you, you do know that right?" Sam asked, getting up and going to sit next to Cas. "That guy was all kinds of twisted man, if you hadn't done what you did he would've tortured you until you were begging for death. Trust me man, I've been around sick fucks like that before. You..." he took a small breath in and let the cold air fill his lungs before exhaling and setting his hand on Cas' knee. "For lack of a less cheesy phrase, you saved me man. Thanks." he kept his hand on Cas' knee, waiting for him to react. 

Cas lowered his head between his arms and focused on breathing. "But I killed him." he was still hung up on that. And he didn't know why, but surprisingly the comforting hand on his knee helped ease the guilt. "I didn't want them to hurt you and they did and- I didn't know what else to do. I'm--"

"Don't say it." Sam interrupted. "Don't say sorry. Never apologize for helping, please. What you did wasn't wrong, I promise Cas." he acted out of character for a moment, taking his hand off Cas' knee and grabbing Cas by the face, turning his head towards him. "Your stitches are all messed up, you've got blood runnin' down your chin, I'm gonna have to redo them." he tried to ease the tension again with a small smile, letting go of Cas' jaw and folding his arm over his own leg. "You need to get some sleep man, I'll keep watch for the next few hours and we'll stitch you up good as new when the sun comes up."

"But what if more people come- what if you're in danger and I don't hear."

"You worry too much." Sam countered as he watched Cas lay back in the dirt. "I'll scream really loud if I don't think you'll hear me. Scouts honor." he joked as he caught an eye roll from Cas. "And Cas?" he asked, watching Cas crack an eye open at him and nod. "You didn't do anything wrong man, I promise. Get some sleep."


	6. That Should Do It

Cas glanced at Sam again before finally giving in and laying down to get some shut eye, but it wasn't more than a half hour of trying to sleep that he was shivering in the silence. Sam peeked an eye open at him, watching as he pulled his arms into his shirt and pulled himself into a loose ball to conserve heat. He felt bad for the guy,he seemed new to the whole on his own thing. Slowly Sam found himself thinking back to what Cas had said earlier about his brother. 

"Hey, Cas?" he whispered in the dark, carefully moving over- cautious with his arm as he got closer to where Cas was laying. "Hey, you awake?" he nudged the space between the back of Castiel's shoulders. "Dude?" he used a pressure point that time, feeling Cas arch away before looking over his shoulder at Sam. "You cold?" he asked, It was obvious he was, but he didn't just want to make the guy feel weaker than he probably already did. "I have an extra coat if you want?" he watched the sort of glazed look on Cas' features wash away before Cas rolled over completely to face him. "Here, you'll sleep better if you're not shivering the whole night."

"Thanks." the word was mumbled from behind the collar of Cas' shirt, not wanting to move or anything in all honesty. "I'm sorry- If I woke you up, I mean." he moved his mouth up out of his shirt and kept his eyes closed while he spoke. 

"Nah, you didn't wake me up man. I wasn't sleepin' anyway." Sam insisted. "Cas, how long has your brother been... gone?" he could see the furrow of Cas' brows before Cas actually opened his eyes to stare at him, almost in disbelief.

"I don't know. A month maybe." Cas sighed out quietly and sat up, taking the spare coat with with, keeping it wrapped around his shoulders. "Why?"

"You, look no offense man, but you seem like you're new to this. You're practically freezing in your sleep- you wouldn't kill me to save yourself-"

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't care who they are-"

"And you say things like that. Did your brother even teach you how to take care of yourself?"

"I took care of him and he liked killing walkers. We had a system, it worked." he pushed the spare jacket off and backed away. Sam took note of the defensive tone. 

"Slow down, bring it back man, look I didn't mean to make you mad, I just thought--"

"I know what you thought." Cas glared at him that time, a Sam felt genuinely upset for having upset him. "I don't need your help. I can manage on my own."

"Cas, come on. No you can't. Look I said I was sorry, I didn't mean to piss you off."

"You can go suck a fuck for all I care." Cas replied getting up and heading off into the dark, but it didn't take long for Sam to catch up, reaching out and tangling his fingers into the fabric of the back of Cas' shirt and yank him back by the neckline. Harder than necessary.

"That's the kind of thing that'll get you eaten alive, do you even get that?" Sam practically growled out the words, watching how Cas didn't even try to free himself, but also refused to look at Sam or even acknowledge him. "Look at me when I'm talkin' to you, man." he shoved Cas around so they were facing one another. But he quickly noticed the way Cas boxed himself off from even a hint of emotion. And it scared him. "Look, I told you I'd look out for you." he let go of Cas' shirt, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder instead. "I'm not here to hurt you and- I'm not here to tell you if you need help or not. I know you don't- you fucking bit that guys neck out earlier, I know you can handle this world. I'm... you just..." he found himself tongue tied that time. "You had a brother and you lost him and, and that's hard man. I don't know what you're going through, I'm sorry man. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, I just saw you laying there freezing and you weren't even asking for help. I just- it didn't make sense."

"You can't feel anything else when you're cold. You don't have to feel anything else." Cas answered softly and that was all Sam needed to hear in that moment to understand.

"Look, you sleep, I'll keep a lookout and you can borrow my coats to keep warm, when it's daylight I'll wake you up. You have my word." Sam moved his hand from Cas' shoulder to hold it out in front of Cas to shake. "Deal?" he asked, watching Cas stare at him before he'd reached out and shaken it. "Good, come on."


End file.
